Today’s struggle is recording/ Spent about 3 hours trying to record my bass and have little to show for it, just one wav file where the bass is so low you can barely hear it. The software is not intuitive, and yes I look at the helpful videos here and elsewhere
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We’re all here to help. Give us some insight as to how you have things set up.
Nope, PC, thanks for offering
Pretty simple setup. Bass plugged directly into s Scarlett 2i2 which is connected to Presonus Studio 1 6 on my laptop. I was trying to catch the sound of the bass with as little sound modification as possible.
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I use the Scarlett Solo. Similar controls.
So troubleshooting then. The inst / gain knob controls how hot the signal is going into your DAW. When you play a note the ring around the knob displays a colour. Green is good, orange is starting to break up / clip and Red is too hot and it’ll be distorted.
You’re aiming to have the gain set to when it’s mainly green when you play but if you pluck a string really hard it’ll go orange.
That ensures you have enough signal going into your DAW that you can work with.
The monitor knob controls the overall volume in your headphones / monitors. It has nothing to do with how loud the signal is going to the DAW.
If you know all of this then move on
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Hi @tgross,
Welcome to the forum! I hear you with that struggle, sometimes I get lost and the kickdrum would be a nice marker. Have you considered counting bars or how many bars you play to find more guidance?
Also, post here to introduce yourself to the forum in general: Introduce Yourself! (2023)
Cheers,
Antonio
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I didn’t try last night. Didn’t get past looking at my bass in fact. I was a slacker. I’ll try again tonight
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Ok, I think this is the best spot for me to tell my issue.
I’m getting a second bass that will arrive next week, I moved from Brazil to Portugal so my first one had to stay. I’m exited and worried about it at the same time, all the few months I had my bass I struggled with the “one finger per fret” technique as I had to study by myself with free content, now I want to find a course and that will be another investment.
I see that all teachers recommend using the technique and I agree with all of them, but the thing is that all exercises happens around it and I simply can’t practice them due to the anatomy of my hand. I don’t have small hands, but my little finger is way smaller then the others, I can see that usual bass players have longer little fingers than I do.
That said, is physically impossible to me to keep the 4 fingers in the string (I can do it only at the G string and barely at the D string) and it’s not about ‘floating fingers’ I’m talking about, I would have to break a few bones to do so… lol
So, my concern is that I’m going to invest money (BassBuzz obviously) and might not proceed with the exercises due to this limitation, so I would love to know about any workarounds for it and how I can turnaround the issue to practice the exercises I’m going to get if I start to study with a course or with a teacher…
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Hi @kenny,
Welcome to the forum!
The Bassbuzz course actually works without the “one finger per fret” method, so feel free to try it. Also, you can return the online subscription, see this page. So it’s worth trying! 
Personally, I understand your struggle - I find it difficult to play big stretches for a long time. A few lessons might be difficult - but the advice for this course is to move past these and come back later. You might know this already: all you need to play is one note! (Victor Wooten)
Cheers,
Antonio
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Welcome, @kenny. Definitely sign up for the Beginner to Badass (B2B) course. It will be the best money you ever spend for anything bass-related.
The single-finger-per-fret method is not required to play bass well, as you will learn in B2B.
If you want to learn to play bass properly, let Josh show you how.
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And the lessons seem intentionally structured from the beginning to develop strength and dexterity in your fretting pinky without you realizing it. Very sneaky, @JoshFossgreen
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Cool cool, thanks guy, I always felt like I was supposed to use the pinky all the time for these exercises, as I said, depending on the string and position it is physically impossible for me, even if I get pro or whatever…
So that was my concern, how to improve getting around of this issue…but hopefully I’ll get there…
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I say lean into it–tell people you are using the “talon” method (get it? 3 fingers on the fretboard) instead of the “claw” method! Then do your best Bruce Lee imitation or something…
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Josh definitely does not depend on the one-finger-per-fret…
This.
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Watch:
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It entirely works without it. I have never used OFPF, it’s not required in any way.
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Whether or not to use one-finger-per-fret is up to the line and the player. I use it more often than not, but it’s a personal preference; not a requirement.
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I stand corrected! Changed my post to reflect that the BB course does not use OFPF.
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So…
What am I struggling with at the moment?
I finished the BB course and I’m in a lull between what I start next and what I’ve learned so far. I’m leaning towards taking the Talkingbass “Technique builder” and probably the “Chord tones” course in the near future.
Right now, I’m exploring jamming and learning a bit of guitar at Justinguitar. I have an acoustic guitar (bought it for $40) which I brought to the nieces over the weekend to inspire them as the “cool uncle” that I currently still am. This resulted in a sore left hand, which has been plaguing me since I first tried playing bass again.
So, you might say I’m struggling with the transition to longterm bass playing. I’m searching for structure in my practice and motivation to practice specific things. I think I’m getting there.
What am I not struggling with?
The nieces (8 and 6) loved jamming with me! They were supposed to be extra-quiet because their bedroom is above the guest room (me), so bringing my guitar up early in the morning was great. Not only did they get to strum, tweak and climb onto or over the guitar, they didn’t have to be quiet … 
We played “Schneeflöckchen, Weißröckchen” and “Alle meine Entchen” which I rocked bass-guitar style at the 7th fret because the girls sing a (little) bit higher). I used Nik’s (@Nik?) tip about reading notes to find the scale and it was a breeze.
We also experimented with a melodica which Nora, the 6 year old, played left handed. That led to playing the guitar upside down. 
I love those kids. 
Keep struggling, we’ll get there together
Antonio
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